I found this presentation on one of Rifkin’s books called The Empathic Civilisation. The presentation is very cool (I think it is Jeremy Rifkin’s voice), and there are some interesting points to consider and some connections to the article “A Change of Heart About Animals.”
Watch the presentation (10 minutes, but it goes really quickly). Jot down some ideas so you remember them.
Choose one interesting idea to discuss. Only one post this week, so make sure you elaborate (and spell check!). Of course, feel free to respond to others’ posts as well.
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I thought it was intersting how he used so many different facts, and put it all together to make his point. What caught my attention the most was when he said we are all homo-impathies, and he took us back in time, and demostrated all the facts together to show us how we are all the same, for example he showed how humans life goes back many years, and even empathy can connect with our animals, and he showed how animals are simular to humans more than we think we are. I thought all his research came out together, and prooved his point, and i really enjoyed it.
Well he certainly spoke very fast and provided, in my opinion, as many facts as possible given the ten minute time span. What stood out to me was the empathic evolution of mankind, how we have evolved from empathy of blood ties to religious associations to nationalistic associations. Looking at where the human race right now – wars, exploits, drug, crime, greed…etc- it is hard for one to draw what seems to be a natural deduction that the human empathy would extend to the human biosphere, “an environment we all share” as the movie stated. Overall the video was very well produced, with the exception of some questionable correlations between two unrelated events; I believe that the author did a good job for provided a neutral argument.
Woah! That blew my mind. One thing that I found to be intresting was that our empathy evolves with us. Rifkin takes us back through many years in the past explains how our empathy works and maybe in the future we will be able to empathize with the rest of inhabitants in this world including the animals in this world that we share. For example Rifkin says that in the years before civilization and tribes roam africa, the tribals would only empathize with people from their same tribes and in the medieval time people would only empathize with people of the same religion and now people are now able to empathize with other people from other nations in periods of crisis.
In the presentation on Rifkin book The Empathic Civilisation, I found to be very interesting and I noticed he used our fellow creators and empathy in this presentation. I thought he brought up good points like how he mention that in 10 years that we have expanded in evolution biology neuron cognitive science child development and research. I thought it was wired how he examples the mirror neurons. Does this really cause you to feel what the other person is feeling? I like it when expand that at two you mature in empathy and eight you learn about life and death. I don’t believe there is no empathy in haven. I loved when he said empathy is the invisible hand. Rifkin sounds like a very interesting writer and person.
This video was definitely very interesting and cool to watch with the drawings and everything. The part that got my attention the most was when he started to talk about how we are “soft wired” and have “mirror neurons” with creatures like orangutans and monkey’s. When he talked about the MRI with the monkey cracking open a peanut and then accidentally one of the scientists came in and was doing the same thing, they both ended up having the same neurons go off on the computer screen when they were both doing the same thing. He described as “mirror neurons” was really cool when he gave the example like if someone had a spider crawling up their arm and you were watching it happen, you would most likely feel a little creeped out and scared like that person was feeling. Or if someone was telling you a story that happened previously, like they rescued a dog and you could tell they were really happy, you would feel that same way as when they rescued it because we all have “mirror neurons.” Also just all of the research and ideas that were put into this video was really cool to listen and watch because I really had no idea about any of those experiments.
First off, in this video he talks extremely fast and I had to watch the video three separate times in order to get all of the things he says. Also, i loved the drawings that accompanied what he was saying, I found them extremely helpful in understanding Rifkin’s ideas. I would say that the idea I found most interesting was when he was talking about a child’s development of empathy and self-hood. I have never really thought about why people feel for others but now it makes total sense; especially on the part about how at eight years old a child learns about birth and death. Once he reaches this realization, he sees that life is “fragile” and thus develops feelings for others who also have this life. Also, I feel like his idea of developing empathy to all of mankind and animals can be carried out, especially because of the new technological developments we have where we can be in touch with people around the world, and because of new developments in science on animals.
I really liked this video, it was very interesting, Rifkin says in the video that at the age of eight children develop and realize the feeling that life is fragile, That one day we will die. Its crazy to think about, That due to research we can see when children start realizing and developing empathy. I also like the part of him talking about how conciseness changes over history. Were definatly arent the same as humans in previous times used to. We have more tools and resources and more common knowledge. This video was very thought provoking and kept my attention.
Wow that was really cool, and fast. I loved how he used really cool pictures to show a whole story like to get people to understand his point. He used visual and listening for people to understand better. One really cool thing i caught was we have a soft wired something i forgot, but we can feel the emotion someone else if feeling just as if it was myself going through, we are attached for socialbiltiy, attachment, affection camaninship. we drive to actually belong. This man talking has made me look at little things, its very tough to be alive he says and i think its very true. My favorite line he said was ” empathy is the invisible hand.”
This video was filled with a lot of information very quickly, which I loved. The thing that stuck out to me the most in the video was how he described the diffrent stages of empathy that we have gone through; first, empathy was only extended to blood ties, then it was extended to religious ties, and now we extended it to those in our country. Rifin then explaned how they have discovered through genetics that we all have ties back to one man and one woman in Affrica, and since this has been proven to be true, why cant we extended our empathy to the entire human race, instead of just our countrymen. I definetly agree with him when he says that we should extend our empathy since everyone has one fragile life. I also liked how he mentioned that no matter what the creature is, those creatures also only have one, fragile life and we should respect and help those fellow creatures that we share the Earth with. I enjoyed this clip over the article we have been reading because I felt that instead of Rifkin focusing on only extending empathy to the fellow creatures, he focused more on extending empathy to the entire human race and that we must do this if we are to ever extended it fully to the fellow creatures. I really enjoyed this clip, and after watching it a secong time i really understood what he meant and wished for. I still thin his call to action is slightly weak, but I did agree that we should extend our empathy to the entire race.
While watching this video i couldn’t help to “not” watch it by how interesting and very classy it was! The constant drawings helped me understand his point more than just if i was listening to him. I thought that the fact that when children learn about life they learn about how “fragile” and how everyone has their own “unique” history! Rifkin has reminded me that life is too short to have any negativity in my life in which watching this video has not only helped me understand Rifkins point, but rather helped me as a person.
This video held a plethora of interesting and thought provoking ideas which were easy to understand because they were accompanied by very simple and helpful animations. What I thought was most interesting was when he talked about how our level of empathy for all creatures have evolved over the expanse of human existence and that now with modern technology and such, we are connected with eachother around the whole world. I also thought when he said if every human went back to their first ancestor we would all come to the same two people making us all in reality connected and family.
This video presented a lot of information very quickly, but it was easy to understand because of the animations that went along with it. One topic I found particularly interesting was the stages of empathy that we have gone through. First, it was only extended to blood ties, then religious ties, and then nationality. He points out that our genetics can all be traced back to one man and one woman. If this is so, why can’t we extend our empathy to the whole human race? I think this is a pretty interesting point. I agree that we should extend our empathy to everyone. A great example of this used in the video was the earthquake in Haiti. Though the people who provided help probably didn’t have any blood, religious, or nationality ties to those in Haiti, they expanded their empathy to people in another part of the world who were in need.
This video was very interesting and held my attention the whole time. I liked how he tied facts and pictures together to keep our attention. I thought the word “empathy” was one of the most important parts of this video because it is so easy to do and that we do it all the time. Sometimes you do it without realizing it. I thought it helped tie the movie together and it made me realize that animals and humans both have empathy for each other.
Rifkin’s video was very entertaining and he presented his ideas well. I think he used the rapid pace effect to leave no time for critics to come up with arguments on the spot. Rifkin’s statement, “Empathy is grounded in the acknowledgment of death and the celebration of life..” rang bells with me. Maybe that’s why when someone is sad we feel sorry for them or try to make them feel better because we want their one and only life to be full of joy. Likewise, if the person is happy, we become filled with the same cheer because it’s infectious and we want moments like these to last during our life. Also, I liked how he organized who/what we empathize with: blood ties, religious ties, and finally the country we identify with. He makes the point that there is no such thing as Germany or France. Humans just use those fictional ideas to identify a territory where we give our loyalty and extend our empathy to. So why not use broaden those fictional ideas and creativity to accept that animals are yet another group of individuals we should empathize with?
I really enjoyed this video. It was filled with a ton of interesting facts, yet it didn’t overload or confuse you, despite the amount of information it threw at you in such a short period of time. I especially liked the examples of empathy at the beginning of the video. Of course I already knew what empathy was, but the description in the video, combined with the picture drawn out throughout the explanation, made it just that much more interesting of a concept, and the speaker brought up a few points that I had not previously considered. The video as a whole really shows how connected everything and everyone is in this world, and how everything has evolved to get us to this point.
First of all I would like to state that some people get way to crazy into their own ideas. It is so interesting to see how some people are very intelligent or seem very intelligent. It made sense when he mentioned the three time periods where empathy was at different levels. Empathy meaning the verb to unify people. 1 through local tribes, two through script, and 3 through nationalism (now). Then he mentioned how now if we get rid of that we can unify the whole world and unify with animals and all organisms through our mirror receptors. Which was very trippy.
This video was very compact with information but I did feel like it all made sense in a weird way. What stood out to me was when Rifkin talked about the mirror neurons. People can feel empathy towards other people, or if one person is sad another person seeing that sadness could feel it as well. It was interesting to find out how the monkey being tested showed those same mirror nueurons when the human was eating. It shows that humans and animals are very alike and his point at the end, about how to survive in the future, made it clear that society needs to become and feel empathy for all. This was a very knowledgeable clip filled with information.
I really enjoyed this video. Although Rifkin spoke fast, the drawings were very helpful and highlighted his main ideas. Rifkin brought up an interesting thing when he said we are all empathetic with each other and that our neurons act the same whether we are experiencing an emotion ourselves or watching someone else experience it. Even babies are able to do this at a basic level when they cry together. I think it is admirable that Rifkin wants us to extend our empathy to the whole human race, every creature, and the entire planet. It is easy to see we all share deep rooted connections.
The video mostly talked about empathy and examples of it. I liked the drawings in the video; the drawings gave the viewer some visual examples about how to express empathy and how empathy is created. I have always believed people are “soft-wired” but I like how he gave some facts and examples of people feeling each other’s emotions. I like how it describes empathy as “a celebration of life” and he believes that empathy is created by experiencing suffering although I can disagree with this, many times it can be true that people show empathy only after experiencing suffering. Overall I liked this video; it was interesting seeing the different opinions and facts the video showed
The video gave a lot of information out in just a short amount of time. This was useful and you had to pay attention so you didn’t miss any bits of his story. I thought it was interesting because it feels like we as humans should already extend empathy towards our human race but most of the time we just think of ourselves and our close friends and family. The part I enjoyed the most was when he talked about one man and one woman and how we first had empathy toward blood ties, then religious ties, and then industrial. This is very true. I agree that we should extend our empathy towards the human race because we basically are all related, and it’s just a good way of living. Our world is too messed up to ever accomplish this, but it is a nice idea. Also I liked how he meshed creatures and humans together. It lets a variety of people be interested in the video.
I loved the way they made this video it was fast but the pictures did seem to help. The idea I picked for this is child development. I thought it was very interesting that baby’s mimic each other due to empathic distress. I never realized that when u sees a baby crying in the hospital they are just copying each other. I also thought it was cool that children start to recognize themselves in mirrors at two in half years of age due to mature empathy. It’s crazy to think that kids learn about life and death at age eight. I think that this is a very cool fact because I really don’t remember thinking about that at that age. Overall I thought this video was very cool and I enjoyed watching it.
After watching this video I found the idea about empathy to be really amazing. It really made sense on how we have mirror neurons, which causes empathy. Till now I have never taken enough time to think why we fell bad for one another but now I understand. This is extremely amazing, and then how the video went on to how communication has changed so much that it is easier for people to show empathy quicker. The example of Haiti and after the earthquake, truly made sense that news travels so fast that people become depressed and help out quicker. Overall, this video was awesome to watch, and very intellectual. I really liked the drawings during the video to insure my understanding.
As hard as it was for me to keep up with Rifkin’s rapid speaking, I did note a few ideas he had such as: our history of emathy, the stages of empathy, and the connection we have from empathy. There were little bits and pieces throughout the entire video that caught my attention, but none more than the segment about the death/empathy relation. It made complete sense; without death empathy wouldn’t exist. Just how empathy wouldn’t exist in heaven, or in a utopia because its the hardships and struggles that allow empathy to arise. I like how in the same segment he includes, “acknowledge death and celebrate living.” because I feel like that made a good point in describing why empathy exists. Well, at least part of the reason.
This video was way to fast to see it once. I had to stop and watch it a couple times over. The whole concept of someone drawing the information while they are taking about it is genius. all his intros to a topic is him saying what it is and then taking and giving examples, like the empathy in babies. the video is cool up to the six minute because he goes into a rant about a whole bunch of topics that have no connection. Cool video but too much info and not straight to the point.
This video was very fun to watch and had some interesting points. The artist drawing while Rifkin was narrorating is a good way to keep the viewer hooked and for Rifkin to solidify his point. Some things I thought stood out were the “mirror neutrons”. So if someone is watching a person handle a deadly snake they are going a feel a sense of fear and danger. So he’s claims that some feelings and thoughts are created by observing and focusing on another person. And the last thing that stood out to me was my view on the overall message of the video. I thought that the videos theme was not sharing the similat
Similarties between human and animal, but in order for today’s man to connect and share a more peaceful life with animals we have to break away from the life and violence that exists today
I liked the video. I found it really interesting when the video talked about how one has to have a knowledge of ones self before empathy like feelings take place. Also in the video I found it very informational that it is not a feeling in a utopian paradise but it is a feeling that happens when one sees mortality and suffering in another human being or even the greater animal community.
One thing I found interesting is that we are all “soft wired” to experience others plight and also his explanation on children’s increase in “selfhood”. I also like his idea on how selfhood and empathy are related. When he says that a child learns about the fragility of life around 8 and is able to experience others plight. This is a quick video that gives a good idea on being empathic, but I think that when he adds that technology has helped us to be more empathic, I do not agree. I don’t think it’s always someone’s empathic embrace” that drives them to help others. I know that saying this is harsh but I believe that sometimes we support countries, like Haiti because we find it to be our duty to help not our empathic nature. When we help others I really don’t think we are fully experiencing there plight….i think
Thank goodness for the animation or I would not have been able to focus on this lecture. Rifkin proposed MANY ideas here that are very idealistic. I liked his point about going from blood ties to religious ties to country ties. I really have to agree that countries are just fictional territory markings that keep us from empathizing with other countries. There are of course the examples like Haiti and Japan where people reached out, but in general we separate ourselves based on location. I can even see this within the states of America. People in California feel as though they are different from those in other states and vise versa, when in reality all “California” is is just a name for a location that has nothing to do with the fact that we are all humans. Rifkin somehow tied in evolution without demeaning religions which I found to be a challenge he handled well. Although his idea of humans coming together is a great one, there are just too many problems within society that keep us from agreeing on ways to solve issues. I can’t even agree with half of my schoolmates let alone the rest of the world. But well played, Rifkin.
I think Rifkin has a very interesting idea is very interesting, but I don’t agree with it completely. In many instances he is right about humans empathetic nature, such as the Haiti example. However for him to say that humans aren’t motivated by self-interest is ridiculous to me. Everything humans do is based on the idea of self-interest. From making money to watching TV to even doing homework; everything humans do is based in self-interest. Even empathy can be self-serving. People donated money to Haiti after the tragic earthquake because it made them feel like they were doing something to help. Rifkin’s ideas were intriguing, but based on a false idea.
This video made me think a lot. I really liked the beginning of the video the most, when Rifkin discusses mirror neurons. I think that it is crazy that we may share the same neurons with animals like monkeys, elephants, dolphins, and dogs. The thing he says about our brains being wired for sociability is very interesting. I think that it’s a nice thought, but there are too many instances that prove otherwise. Just this weekend our baseball team set up caution tape and little fences in the corner of the parking lot for our christmas tree sale the next day. Unfortunately, during the night, someone came and destroyed all of tape and fences, witch we witnessed the following morning. So because of things like this, I don’t agree with the statement about our brains being wired for sociability.
I really enjoyed this clip; it was both very intriguing and thought provoking. I particularly was interested in Rifkin’s last thought when he was saying that if the natural human characteristics weren’t suppressed by the government, educational systems, etc. then they wouldn’t be brought out and people would be more empathetic. This was very… interesting. I think it’s nice that Rifkin would like to think that in the perfect (yet unideal) world people are naturally empathetic towards others and become more empathetic as the years go on. This is a nice idea, but come on. Scott made a good point in saying that humans are motivated based on self- interest. For the most part, everything that humans do is in their own interest. It’s a nice cat- lady type of thought that without suppression there wouldn’t be corrupt and evil in the world, but in the end, humans are born naturally possessing both the good and the bad characteristics. So, nice idea Rifkin, but I don’t necessarily agree.
I found this video to be very interesting. He spoke very fast so at times it waas a little hard to keep up with. I really liked all the drawing because it seemed to keep me more focused. I enjoyed learning all about empathy. I thought it was cool how he talked about we are all empathetic towards each other even at a very young age. I think he really wants people to see that humans and animals have a connection.
Rifkin believes that humans are “soft wired” not for aggression, self interest, and violence. Violence is what entertains us, self interest is what moves us, and aggression is what causes wars. Empathy in my opinion could not “save our species and our planet,” because not everyone enjoys pity. The thought of a fragile world, in my opinion creates more self interest, than empathy.
I thought that the combination of Rifkin talking in the background and the artist’s cartoons in the foreground was an amazing way to demonstrate what you’re saying. What Rifkin was talking about was incredibly fascinating but not exactly attention grabbing. By using the artist from the British Royal Society for the Arts he really engages the audience and makes them listen. My favorite parts of the video were when the artist takes a little freedom and elaborates on what Rifkin says, for example most of the speech bubbles he gave the characters were very funny. The cartoons about how a modern person’s, a mediaeval serf’s, and a hunter gatherer’s brains are constructed were hilarious! When he talked about how the mirror neurons reflect how other’s feel and makes us feel the same and used the spider crawling up a person’s arm as an example, I thought it was a great way to explain empathy.
I thought the point that all humans and some primates have mirror neurons. That is, we are soft wired to feel another persons feelings or feel what is happening to them (i.e. feel someones lose or sadness). Furthermore, we are soft wired to “belong”. But why? Makes me think of why we strive for companionship and to fit in, I also think it’s neat that our empathy matures as we grow.
This video was really imtresting. Usually when i hear people talking it gets boring but it was really entertaining how he drew pictures and wrote a bunch of facts down throughout the whole clip, it didnt make it so boring. Some things i liked and found intresting about this clip is that when a child is 8 years old they know there life is fragil and they know one day they will die. I also liked the part when he was talking about the spider going up a ladies arm and how the person that watches it go up gets the same feeling. Thats so true.
I thought the video was intriguing, and although I agree that humans should become more empathetic toward others, I disagree with some of the premises of the video. Toward the beginning he states that because we have mirror neurons we are softwired for empathy, however I don’t believe that it is necessarily so. It seems like the only evolutionary purpose mirror neurons serve is to deter us from entering situations where we will be hurt. For example caveman one sees caveman two being attacked by a lion. His mirror neurons make him feel some of caveman two’s pain so he then leaves the area because he doesn’t like pain, and thus survives to pass on his genes for mirror neurons. Although they might add to our empathetic nature it doesn’t mean that we are purely empathetic creatures (even though we should still strive to be). In addition I think his roots as an economist show more in this video than in his article, he mentions the invisible hand which is an economics terms describing how free markets self regulate, and he also mentions homo empathicus which to me sounds like homo reciprocans which is a concept in some economic theories that humans are generally cooperative and seek to improve their environment (as opposed to homo economicus which is the theory that humans are generally motivated by self profit). Either way I enjoyed the video and thought it has some good points.
Wow so much interesting information in barely any time. I found Rifkin’s video very informative while still holding on tight to my attention. He brought into focus a much bigger definition for the word empathy than I would have thought of before. One of the examples of empathy I find most interesting is the one about babies naturally being wired to show empathy for each other. When one baby cried the others would cry as well even though they did not have a real reason to. He called this “empathic distress” and says it is built into their biology. On the other hand though, and in my mind more likely, the other babies could have started crying because the first baby’s cry was annoying to them… But still, it’s an interesting thought.
I really liked two points Rifkin makes in this awesome video. He gives an example of the monkey in the MRI machine and how when he opened the nut and when he did the same thing as the scientist, the monkey was using the same neurons. The other thing he mentions is that us human and a few other creatures are what scientist call soft wired, or mirror neurons. This was very surprising and really cool to learn, but when I think about it its so true! But being soft wired has a meaning in the way we live, I guess its how we learn. Rifkin uses the example of the toddler recognizing himself in the mirror and learning by seeing. I like how he says that once some one realizes that their life is fragile they soon realize that we all have that and that life is tough for everyone even creatures. Every time we empathize with some one or something its because we have experience it. Empathy is complicated. This video was very exciting and amazing I learned a lot. I even watched the other videos!
This whole presentation was very interesting. It was kind of hard to watch it continuously because it would buffer on my iPod . I really liked this presentation because of all the little cartoons and the fast pace. What I liked the most was the mirror neurons part. One because monkies are my favorite animal and two because the whole concept is jut amazon and it makes you think of a time when you felt what someone else was feeling. For example this has happened to me before whe I see someone sad I begin to feel sad also. So that was very interesting and also I thought the whole but experience was good because it fit in with the article we had just read. Overall this was a very fun and exciting presentation. This guy has mad drawing skills! haha
Wow.. That was really quick yet interesting video. He jumped around a lot just to prove that “empathy is the invisible hand.” The part that got my attention was the part about how children learn from what people say or do around them. Everything we do is indeed a repetitive motion. Every baby cries when baby’s cry, we all slowly learn the meaning or life. We all learn how precious time is. I enjoyed his video and at first was a bit confused at what I was watching, but then realized when you said that the video would go quick, you weren’t joking.
(and his art was really good)
I really enjoyed this video and thought it was very intriguing. I liked how the whole video ties empathy into practically everything in our lives. The way Rifkin first describes the meaning of empathy was very interesting and made me think more in depth about the true meaning of empathy along with how much humans and animals really are alike.
It was hard to pay attention to RIfkin speaking while these cool pictures were being drawn by some random dude so I obviously had to watch the video a few times. Rifkin managed to put a lot of information into this 10 minute video but I heard empathy the most. I understand Rifkin’s idea about the human race being empathetic and that we should “extend our identities to think of the human race as, fellow creatures, and the biosphere as a fellow sojourner.” And I agree with most of what he had to talk about but lets be realistic. Humans fight wars, they steal from each other, and they’re greedy. If it’s so hard for humans to get along, how are we supposed to take care of and act empathetic towards animals? Or our biosphere? And how are humans supposed to act empathetic towards each other when we don’t want to join together? These are just the thoughts that I’ve been thinking.
In Jeremy Rifkin’s video “The Empathetic Civilization” he creates several claims that empathy drives the human sociological civilization, and that it grows and expands with the speed of human civilization. With this, he derives his speech from neurological similarities between situations of a monkey and a human opening a nut. The ability to understand another’s action, he says is empathy. And, his explanation of how empathy grows with humans and their fictitious states of time was very easy to understand. Rifkin uses this very logical knowledge to, in the end, tie the expanding knowledge of empathy and science to tolerate and accept animals in similar ways we do humans. He wants humans to empathize with animals with the expanding world.
I actually was shown one of these videos by one of my friends few months ago, so I went ahead and watched them all, and I find them interesting and entertaining. I was really caught by one of the things Rifkin said in the beginning of the video, which was that scientists had discovered ‘mirror neurons’, which go off when you see something that is happening to someone else or recognize someone else’s mood/feelings. This reminds me of when I was little, and I would always grab my ankle and cringe if I saw someone break or twist theirs in a video. Still today, if I see damage inflicted on a body part, I will at least become more aware of my body, if not feel something there (hence why I don’t enjoy gory films). So, from personal experience, I would have to say that this is definitely true, if nothing else is.
Rifkin had many interesting points throughout the video. The most interesting one that I saw was the one about the brain function of humans and primates. It showed that the neurons in our brains react like the neurons in primates’ brains. It was also suggested that elephants, dogs, and dolphins have a similar function. This research makes the case for the theory of evolution even stronger.
As I watched this video I kept coming back to something Rifkin said in the very beginning and that was that were was” no empathy is in heaven because there is no mortality “(Rifkin). It makes a lot of scene because if it is like he says it is and empathy stems from knowing of mortality why would there be empathy if there was no mortality. To me the video was very interesting. The way it was designed it really kept your attention because it was moving and constantly changing. You were better able to understand and follow Rifkin’s lecture. In the end I very much enjoyed this video.
The video was definitely interesting and Rifkin made a lot of key points about empathy. The part that I found interesting was when he mentioned that empathy is based on our frailties and imperfections, meaning that without any of these weaknesses or imperfections there wouldn’t be any empathy. Also, when he mentioned that we all came from two people and that we all have to start liking as a continued family. That last part was a nice touch to the end of the video. Overall the video was very informative about empathy, and I most of what he had to say.
I also loved all the drawings!
This video is a little strange but has many interesting points. I liked how even though he spoke quickly he kept my attention with the illustrations, which by the way was cool how they fast-forwarded those to be in sync with his words. What he said about empathy was intriguing, that it starts when toddlers learn about birth and death. He kept saying that empathy only had to do with death and suffering. I was impressed how daring he was to put his beliefs in this video because for some people that takes away his credibility away, however that he could talk about heaven like that was brave.
I find the fact that chimpanzees use the exact same amount of neurons within the brain just to open up a nut shell. And the amazing thing is that it all happened by accident. What if that one person wasn’t hungry for nuts on that particular day? This theory and opinion on animals would have never even been thought of.
Wow! What a true and thought provoking video! Thank you for showing us this video Mrs. Jones, it’s one to be watched more than once!
I thought is was really interesting how the MRI machine showed a relationship between the monkey’s physical and observational brain activity. It is true that our spoken language really sets the human species apart from the animal kingdom, however I would have to disagree with the frequent mistake which assumes that humans are superior. I believe this is so because there is evidence that animals exhibit empathy. Most species live in packs or groups as family caring for eachother. All animals have ways of communicating to one another, be it by sound, scent, or movement. Take a tiny ant for example; I’m not sure if my made-up assumption of: “When ants carry dead ants along a trail they’re just on their way to a tiny ant funeral.” I would assume this because what good is a dead ant to them…if they had no empathy, would they not just leave their dead there to rot? Animals know their natural balance in nature. Their established food chains (if left uninterrupted by humans) would always run like well oiled machines. Not only their food chains but how they coexist make them extraordinary. We should be more like the animals and learn something from them. Their only worry is survival. The simple life. I also found interesting about the nationalism aspect of likeness. Boarders which define a country are political and completely abstract. They’re not necessary for survival, neither are politics. If only we could get past all of our hard wiring, and media washed minds and tap into our natural fountains of empathy and let them flourish, this would be a wonderful world free of strife. Hmmm.
I enjoyed Jeremy Rifkin’s fast paced video about empathy and the history of the human race. The part I found most interesting was the section on child development. Rifkin said that at 8-years-old, children have a realization that life begins and ends, and that they are fragile and vulnerable. I feel like many people our age have not had that realization yet, because they continue to act and make decisions as if they are invincible. Also I know of many people who have little to no empathy for others. The only person they are concerned with are themselves. Perhaps they skipped this vital developmental stage in life.
After watching this video clip, it’s clearer as to how Jeremy Rifkin came to write “A Change of Heart About Animals.” Empathy is not just a connection between this video and his article in the Los Angeles Times, but his theory on how we are all connected as humans and with our “fellow creatures.” (He mentioned this word choice once or twice in the video.) The creatively orchestrated drawings added personality to Rifkin’s discussion on empathy and provided an excellent visual as he illustrated the definition of the word. One topic that caught my attention was, the first drive: “the drive to actually belong”. I found it intriguing that we are “soft wired” to be comfortable in numbers, to be compassionate towards others and to celebrate life. By no means is it surprising, just thought provoking and well tied into the speculation on our reactions towards others, Haiti response time and the science Rifkin used.
This video was extremly interesting. It did go by very fast so it was difficultto catch all of the information. Everything stated really made you think. He dd a good job on proving his point. I liked how he gave us a lot of visuals too from the pictures he used. I thought it was very interesting. I thought it was very cool how he went back to the period of te African tribes adsaid how they would only interact with people from their own tribes, no one else. And now everyone interacts with everyone. Anoter point he made which I thought was cool was about the scientist and the monkey. It is strange to think that just by cracking open the same item can cause a human and a monkey to use te exact same neurons. Overall I enjoyed the information given in this video.
Thank goodness for the drawings, or else I would have gotten lost. It was an informative video though! I was most interested in the part where Rifkin explains how we are all linked back to one man and one woman, just as the Bible says. This statement reminds me of a man, Professor Walter J. Veith, who was at one point an atheist and evolutionist, until his studies changed him into a Christian and creationist after seeing that evolution couldn’t possibly explain our origins (walterveith.org 1). Along with that, I thought his idea of empathy toward others expanding over time with the advancement in technology seemed accurate. News spreads extremely quickly now and people have learned to use techniques, such as appealing to ethos, pathos, and logos, to make a bigger impacts on the viewers/readers. I also notice that he used the term “fellow creatures” again and I thought that was funny.
Wow, this guy sure had a lot of information in only 10minutes. One thing that I found interesting is when Rifkin described how empathy in an changed throughout history. It was interesting to see how as technology advanced people empathized with much bigger groups. It went form local tribes to religious ties and on to national ties. The part that I found the most interesting was when he talked about Haiti. It was interesting to see how many people became empathetic because of resources like Twitter, YouTube, and other Internet websites.
I really liked Rifkin talking in the background as he drew was a great way to show this video. I thought everything was amazing and interesting but some parts were a little dull.My favorite parts of the video was the part about the bubbles, and especially when he talks about how the brains were constructed that especially got me laughing very much! The most interesting part i thought would be that the child of 8 knows about life and knows one day he would die, and hoe they know its precious and begin to understand how to empathize with each other. Also i found mirror neurons very exciting and interesting and the fact the animal could possibly have it is fascinating. “Empathy is the invisible hand”. “Empathize is to Civilize, to Civilize is to Empathize.”
This was a really good video, but first I would like to say that I only got the first half of it, and then I was lost. However, I found it interesting how Rifkin brought up the MRI brain scan machine with the monkey; I loved how the monkey showed the exact same brain neurons as the human did when opening a nut. Then Rifkin introduced the meaning of “Soft Wire,” which he explained was a “Mirror Neuron.” Now this!…is what I found the most interesting simply because I’ve found myself doing the exact same thing; for example: When I see a movie with a scene where someone gets kicked in their unmentionables, I feel as though I can feel it too. And finally I liked how he brought up “Adam” and that “The Bible got this one right,” Rifkin explained empathy with this and stated that “the point is we have to begin thinking as an extended family…we don’t lose our religion…blood ties…we have to rethink the human narrative.” He said specifically “we have to extend our identities.” He seems to be a man with good intentions; he states his opinion with great intelligence.
First of all this guy speaks really fast and he is a great artist. What really caught my eye was the mirror neurons. I thought i was really cool, because we learn by seeing or hearing other people. I can believe that there are suck things as mirror neurons, like when you yawn its very contagious. Once he started talking about empathy I thought that was really cool, how people can have empathy.It cool to hear that people care for others because they know what they are feeling. I find it to be pretty corret because thats the only reason we listen to each other or take the chance to help another person out, because we have been in their shoes or know some on in their shoes.
This was an interesting and eye opening video. I find the connection back to “Adam and Eve” where all people are an extended family is very interesting. This may also help to explain the mirror effect in which people have empathy for each other and animals. With better understanding we may begin to perfect are empathy to the world and create a peaceful, but still fun for those who do not enjoy peace all the time, world in which we all coexist and understand each others thoughts, ideas, feelings and pain.
This was a very interesting video. Before watching this clip i had a hard time fully believing Rifkin’s argument. Although I found it a little unbelievable that every one on this earth came from two people. Still i thought the progression of human empathy was interesting. First starting with blood ties of people living in the same area. Then into religious ties of individuals that had the same faiths. Finally the creation of nations and then he goes on to question why we cannot extend these ties to the whole world including animals and the biosphere. All in all i thought that this was a very good argument and opened my eyes to Rifkin’s ideas.
This is a very entertaining video mostly because of the drawings. It was going a little fast but the pictures helped the most. I can now see how Rifkin is trying to make us see that we docome from two people just how it says in the bible. Personally I like how in the video he explains from step to step and they all connect to eachother in some way. Rifkin puts out a great argument and now after this vido it has changed my opinion about him.
I liked this video due to the fact that thew out the video there were images discribing what he was talking about. It was neat to see how as he would be writting some stuff it would be showing in the video. I thought it was very interesting when he said they had used an MRI machine to test it on monkeys and humans and they saw that to crack the nut they thought it the same way. I wouldnt have thought that. I also agree with what he said thatif we see someone react to something in a certain way we do the same.
This video was very interesting. It was really fast and it and there was so much information! But, what I found interesting was that when we see someone acting a certain way, or having certain emotions, it is in our nature to feel what they are feeling. And when he talks about the monkey that had that was in the MRI, and they found out about his neurons, it related to Rifkin’s article and when he talks about how animals have feelings just like us humans. Overall I thought the video was full of interesting findings, that we don’t really know about.
Th is video didn’t really seem ten minutes long it went by fast and it was very entertaining because of the drawing and the voice was right with the writing. I always thought it was weird when you see someone get hurt you feel it as if it happened to you but i know now that were all soft wired. I also thought the mirror effect was pretty interesting because its true if you don’t know how to do something you watch someone else do it then we can. So i thought it was an interesting video.
The video was very interesting. But i think the only thing that made it interesting was the drawings. The way how he ended up putting everything he was talking about back together to his main idea was very nice. Even though this video was very informational and interesting was he did take to long to get to the point it sort of just dragged on and on. All together it was a very good and informational video made Rifkin appear more knowledgeable then I thought he was.